Tracy, CA- Breaking Developments in the case of missing 8 year old Sandra Cantu. Sandra was last seen outside her home at Orchard Estates Mobile Home Park at 4 PM on Friday March 27. Although the family and their spokesperson have adamantly stated otherwise, Sgt. Tony Shenemen of the Tracy Police Department maintains law enforcements position that they will find this young girl alive and she has not been abducted.

Sex trafficking. Ever heard of it? Thought about it? Wondered what it was?

It’s most likely a safe bet that most of us don’t think about sex trafficking on a regular basis. Plus, that stuff just happens in dirty foreign countries to drugged-up, stupid girls dripping in poverty. Right? Wrong!

I recently ventured to the movies one night hoping for the usual two hours of scheduled entertainment. After a whole day of classes, I was really hoping to relax, sit back and enjoy a good film.

My friend and I decided to see “Taken,” an interesting title, which looked like a good thriller but nothing too heavy. Within the first 30 minutes of the film, I was anything but relaxed.

The movie is about a teenage girl and her friend visiting Europe to stay in an upscale flat in Paris. Her naive friend, who had her tell her parents they would be staying with the friend’s family, fooled the main character. When they arrive, she realizes the flat is empty and they are on their own. Having told a “cute” European guy where their flat was, within the first few minutes of stepping inside, the girls were both “taken.”

Keep in mind that these girls were American, straight out of decent and wealthy families, went to school, had dreams about college, and led pretty normal lives. Normal lives like you and I. After having been kidnapped, they spiral into a world of drugs, sex and violence. The scenes are brutal, disgusting, and awful and definitely reflect the sickness and evil of mankind. But the lesson to be learned here is that these girls were not stupid foreign girls dripping in poverty; they were the girls sitting next to you in psychology class or the ones you saw at a party Friday night. These were girls you might have known. These were girls that could have been you.

I encourage everyone to watch the movie. I think it’s a real eye-opener.

So now you’re thinking, “Phew, I’m glad that doesn’t happen in the United States!”

Well, I hate to burst your oh, so innocent bubble, but it does happen very year to more than 100,000 girls between the ages of 9 and 19. And many victims are not just runaways or kids who’ve been abandoned. Many of them are from what would be considered “good” families, experts say.

Predators hang out at any place that girls in this age group could be, and they are trained to read children and know what their vulnerabilities are. They don’t necessarily have a foreign accent or dark demeanor. They, most likely, look normal and harmless. A common way girls are tricked into sex trafficking is being approached, called beautiful and offered a modeling job. The ones promoting the business don’t mention the gang raping during the offer. Disturbing fact: most men who traffic are married. I wonder if the wife knows?

Sex businesses thrive in all areas – urban, suburban and rural, as well as in areas surrounding U.S. military bases. The whole deal is, of course, very shady. The actual sex takes place in a variety of places including the backs of well-known businesses or venues, and in makeshift brothels in trailer parks or abandoned warehouses. The location is always changing, and the girls are constantly on the move, depending on the demand of their age, body type, hair color, etc., and because they are on the move, they are less likely to be caught.

Just like in the movie, these girls are forced to take drugs, and they quickly become addicted, making it difficult for them to escape or resist at all. If they do try to resist, they are severely beaten and may be raped even more viciously than normal. Recovered victims have been reported as having broken bones, open cuts in need of stitches, head injuries and diseases. HIV is common among victims because condoms cost money. Victims of sex trafficking are stripped of all dignity and pride, and the traffickers literally force them to sell their soul.

The Central Intelligence Agency reports that human trafficking is the third largest criminal industry in the world, right behind drugs and gun smuggling. Being that high on the list, it’s a wonder that we aren’t more informed on the issue. I guess the image of the American Dream has shoved issues like this one behind Lady Liberty’s flame, and those behind it just continue to burn.

It’s important that girls know about issues like this one and are aware of the dangers. I know that not all of us travel to foreign countries on a regular basis, but the United States has its share of trafficking making us at risk, too.

Knowledge is protection and the word is out, so next time a well-dressed man calls you pretty, think twice.

Lindsey Pruitt is the assistant lifestyles editor for The Arkansas Traveler. Her column appears every other Wednesday.